


Internal Prejudices

by whoisthekingofnewyork



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Gryffindor reader, Yule Ball, draco is nice, pureblood reader, slow burn one shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-04
Updated: 2018-09-04
Packaged: 2019-07-06 21:27:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15894468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whoisthekingofnewyork/pseuds/whoisthekingofnewyork
Summary: (y/n) struggles to believe that Draco isn't scheming.





	Internal Prejudices

**Author's Note:**

> Also posted on my Tumblr @not-quite-shakespeare-yet

“Why must she hang around those idiots all the time?” Draco mumbled, watching as (y/n) walked through the courtyard, sandwiched between the Weasley twins.

“What was that, Draco?” Pansy asked from across the misshapen circle of Slytherins. “I couldn’t hear you from over here.”

“He was talking to me, Parkinson.” Blaise stepped in, saving Draco from being pestered by the girl when in actual fact he couldn’t hear Draco even though the boy was sitting next to him.

The girl fell silent, glaring at Blaise for ruining her chances of talking to Draco. Draco had hardly sent a look her way over all the time that they knew each other, preferring to stand alone rather than dancing at the family balls. When he was forced to speak to her it was short and harsh, his thoughts much more occupied by the Gryffindor prefect who he spent most of his classes thinking of. She was older than him, only by a year, but had always seemed much more mature than any student in the school. He gathered it was from the fact that she was forced to grow up faster than most wizards and witches. That’s why he admired her, the way she was so mature and moved with such carefree elegance. He thought he went unnoticed like Pansy was by him.

“You know you could go talk to her right?” Blaise whispered, drawing him back out of his thoughts.

“She willingly ignores me at all times,” Draco states louder than expected, drawing the attention of the rest of the group.

“No, I don’t.” Pansy responds with furrowed brows.

“For fuck’s sake Parkinson, he has never once been interested in you, let it go.” Another girl in the group scoffs, someone that Draco never really spoke to but still would prefer over Pansy any day. “Literally everyone except you can see how he looks at that Gryffindor.”

“You fancy a Gryffindor? You aren’t becoming a blood traitor like those Weasleys are you?” Adrian scoffs.

“Is it really being a blood traitor if she’s a pureblood?” Draco rolls his eyes, shutting up the complaints. “So what if she actually cares about something other than her status in the wizarding community?”

At that moment Pansy stormed away from the group, quickly being followed by Adrian. The rest of the small group maintained their positions in the group despite their confusion.

“Is someone making Malfoy soft?” Blaise smirked.

“Can it, Zabini.”

(y/n) watched the boat that was sitting on the lake that year gently rocking under the autumn breeze. The movement of burgundy cloaks across the deck was oddly calming as they sauntered across the deck like puppets. A few were balanced precariously on the railings at the side of the main decking, a pair of them in the crows nest and a handful making their way back to shore in the smaller boats that were brought alongside the large vessel. The boats came rapidly over the lake, much faster than the boats she had used in the first year to get to the castle. There was something about the lake that just brought back memories from any point in time while at Hogwarts.

“I knew I’d find you here.” George dumped himself down next to her. “I thought I’d just let you know that Malfoy is being nice to all of us, Harry included.” (y/n) chuckled, hardly believing the words that were leaving the pranksters mouth. “I’m being serious, he even asked where you were.”

“Georgie, Draco Malfoy doesn’t do anything without a reason. I’m sure him being nice could just be a cover-up for one of his families cruel schemes.” She rolled her eyes. “Remember Harry’s second year, that bloody family got your 11-year-old sister possessed just so the fucking dark lord can come back. The guy got defeated by a two-year-old the first time and by teenagers ever since. I’m pretty sure he isn’t going to last long if he does find a way to get back.”

He sat silently for a moment, thinking over the words that had just spilt out of her mouth in her wave of disbelief. “I’m holding you to that.”

“Let’s just hope he doesn’t find a way back.”

George pulled her into his side, soothingly rubbing his thumb over her arm. “Even if he does, you’re smart enough to survive.”

“Yeah, It’s you Weasley kids I’m worried about. I know Bill and Charlie can handle themselves but the rest of you need to be babysat even now.” She teased, despite the tears welling up in her eyes. “I just really don’t know what I’d do without you redheads.”

“Probably go and marry the girl or boy of your dreams, write a book like your grandad, somehow survive as long as him.” He shrugs, trying to cheer her up.

“That sounds so mundane.” She used the given leverage to change the subject. “I’d much rather have something to write about, perhaps I’ll become a curse breaker.”

(y/n) was blissfully aware of Draco’s attempts to get close to her during all of their brief yet pleasant conversations during breaks between lessons. During any free time that was mutually shared, she was around her other friends. He almost managed to sit next to her in the library before Cedric sat down next to her with a piece of parchment in his hands and a textbook that was identical to the one she was working out of. Neither of them left until it was time to go back to dorms, Cedric being the total gentleman and walking her back.

The second time he was inches from having a proper conversation with her was when she was waiting by herself in the courtyard. This time his opportunity was snatched away by his own best friend. Blaise had caught her, initiating a conversation about the next time her family would visit his, the two of them eventually leaving the courtyard and making their way elsewhere.

Blaise had led (y/n) into the Astronomy tower, fully aware that nobody would be in it at this hour. It had become a frequent occurrence since he came to Hogwarts, the two of them skipping dinner and talking like they would at every large family event that was held when the two of them were children. They had both been taught the pureblood ways of having flawless manners in public but neither of them was really capable of accepting the ideals that the traditional families kept. Neither of them was in traditional pureblood families, his mother never took part in the first war and hers fought alongside the Weasleys. However, when he went up to Hogwarts he was forced into acting stereotypically like a Slytherin pureblood despite hoping he’d be in Gryffindor like she was. It was the only time he could be himself.

“You know that Draco means no harm, right?” Blaise had asked at some point during their conversation.

“I know he wants something.”

“He wants you.” Blaise rolled his eyes at her obliviousness. “He likes you and wants to go to the Yule Ball with you.”

“Tell him I’m flattered but I’d much rather go with someone who isn’t a rude, racist, fake piece of shit.” (y/n) snapped, sick of everyone mentioning Draco to her these days because of his sudden change in personality.

“He hasn’t asked you yet?”

“He hardly speaks to me.”

“I guess he’s having second thoughts.” Blaise sighed, losing all faith in his friend now that he has lied to him about the progress of the relationship with (y/n). “You deserve better than Malfoy anyway, especially if he isn’t willing to break his status to even talk to you.”

“Says the guy who fakes being a stuck up pureblood.” (y/n) rolls her eyes.

“Now I have everyone in that house scared of me, it’s unnecessary to keep up the act. Why else do you think nobody has beat Malfoy into growing up? I’m willing to sacrifice a few of those assholes if you are willing to go to the Yule Ball with me?”

That’s exactly what they did. (y/n) arrived at the Yule Ball with her arm entwined with Blaise’s, her red gown strongly conflicting with his green tie. The two of them turned heads more than the champions did when they eventually joined that first dance of the night. The pair laughing about the first time they were forced to dance together by her parents years ago, back then she was taller now there was a clear difference. Shortly after the dance was over they were joined by the twins, George stealing you away for a dance while Blaise went to go get drinks when he was actually going to nag Draco just a little bit more. George had ended up stepping on her toes more than she would have liked, each time causing her to tease him about Bill being much better at dancing with her. They somehow managed to finish the song, Blaise returning with Draco in tow and multiple cups.

The group sat at the table, an odd mix of Gryffindors and Slytherins sharing the same table. Surprisingly they all held a calm conversation for at least an hour before another slow song began to play. A soft nudge from Blaise caused Draco to ask (y/n) to dance, which George rapidly accepted for her, forcing her out of the chair and towards the dancefloor. The pair started with an Umbridge-worthy gap between them.

“You know you could have just talked to me before the dance right?” (y/n) rolled her eyes. “You didn’t have to go through my friends. Although the change was appreciated, it did make all of us believe that you were scheming until Blaise told me you liked me, even if my first reaction was to call you names.”

He remained silent, thinking over his words but she beat him to it.

“It was fighting your internal prejudices that took you so long wasn’t it? It took me all this time to take in what Blaise told me as truth.”

“How are you so good with words?” Draco blushed slightly at how well she could read him.

“The great Draco Malfoy, blushing?” (y/n) teased, catching sight of her friends cheering them on and finally realising that they had started dancing closer together and the song was almost over.

“It’s caused by being around beautiful people.” Draco hesitated. “Who is willing to give me a chance?”

“Keep up being nice to my friends and I’ll consider it.” (y/n) winked, making her way back over to the table of her smirking friends.


End file.
